Confirming and disconfirming American myth: Stories within the suggestion box

Suggestion boxes, a form of upward organizational communication, have received little attention in academic and business literature. Thus, this study offers a preliminary examination of suggestion box communication. It briefly discusses how stories told about the suggestion box relate its effectiveness to American myth enactment. Then it offers a case study that, via rhetorical analysis, shows how American myth underlies suggestion box suggestor‐respondent dialogue. Examining suggestion box mythology may provide clues as to the perceived effectiveness of this organizational communication medium.

Key concepts:

• Suggestion box
• myth
• narrative
• upward communication
• storytelling
• organizational communication